Chronograph watch

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a chronograph watch having as a time-base a piezoelectric quartz oscillator, the oscillations of which are maintained electronically and utilized, after having been treated by electronic dividing and shaping circuits, for the maintenance of a known electric display device for the seconds, minutes, and hours. This watch further comprises an auxiliary chronographic counting device which can be actuated from outside at the will of the user and which operates synchronously with the said oscillator.

United States Patent [191 [111 3,884,035 Jeannet et al. May 20, 1975 CHRONOGRAPH WATCH 2,542,021 2/1951 Fox 58/50 R 3,662,535 5/1972 Hedrick et al. 58/39.5 [751 lnvemorsi Jean", 3 757 509 9/1973 Fujita 58/39.5

Chambrelien; Michel Girardin, La Chaux-de-Fonds, both of S i l d Primary Examiner-Edith Simmons .lackmon Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Stevens, Davis, Miller & [73] Ass1gnee: SocIete Sulsse pour llndustrle Mosher Horlogere Management Services, S.A., Bienne, Switzerland [22] Filed: Oct. 15, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT PP 406,204 The present invention relates to a chronograph watch having as a time-base a piezoelectric quartz oscillator, F D the oscillations of which are maintained electronically [30] orelgn Apphfatmn Pnonty am and utilized, after having been treated by electronic Oct. 13, Switzerland a d S api g ci cui s o th a te nc of a known electric display device for the seconds, min- [52] 58/ 58/ utes, and hours. This watch further comprises an aux- [511 f 0 5 2 g 74 1 R iliary chronographic counting device which can be ac- [58] held of Search l tuated from outside at the will of the user and which References Cited operates synchronously with the said oscillator.

UNITED STATES P T S 9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 2,416,081 2/1947 Bakke 58/125 C BATTERY l l l 3 2 4 l I l l DIVIDING I SHAPING OSCILLATOR DISPLAY x F BATTERY 24 25 l STEPPING STEPPING-12 v6 MOTOR MOTOR CHRONOGRAPH WATCH Watches offering the display of the seconds, minutes, and hours plus a chronographic counting device are known and described in numerous patents; but all of them use as time-bases mechanical oscillators maintained either mechanically or electromagnetically, and all of them include a mechanical clutch device between the gear-train of the time display mechanism and the gear-train of the chronographic display device. The clutch is generally actuated from the outside of the watch and makes it possible to actuate the display deviceof the chronograph at the will of the user.

Such a synchronization device between the timebase of the watch and the chronographic display device cannot be used in the case of a watch having a piezoelectric quartz oscillator as its time-base.

As a matter of fact, some of these liquid-crystal (solid state) digital display watches have no gear-train and hence afford no possibility of tapping a source of mechanical energy to drive a chronographic display geartrain. In most of the known quartz watches having an analog display, on the other hand, the electric motor driving the hands is not powerful enough to be able to drive the various counters of a chronographic counting device as well.

It has already been suggested to increase the power of analog display motors in order to enable known chronograph devices to be used; unfortunately, this increase in power is necessarily accompanied by a permanent increase in power consumption which is hardly compatible with the life of the battery.

Obviating the shortcomings and impossibilities mentioned above, the chronograph watch according to the invention has as a time-base a piezoelectric quartz oscillator, the oscillations of which are maintained electronically and used, after having been treated by electronic dividing and shaping circuits, for maintaining a known electric display device for the seconds, minutes, and hours, this watch further including an auxiliary chronographic counting device which can be actuated from outside at the will of the user and which operates synchronously with the said oscillator, characterized in that the display of the said chronographic count is driven by at least one independent electric motor electrically connected with the aid of a switch to the electronic frequency divider of the basic circuit.

A description of two embodiments of a chronograph watch according to the invention is given below by way of example.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 shows, in the form of a diagram, a quartz watch equipped with a chronographic device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows, also in the form of a diagram, a variation of the quartz watch equipped with a chronographic device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention, showing the arrangement of the gear-trains on a circular plate.

The quartz watch equipped with a chronographic device shown in FIG. 1 comprises, as is known, a power supply 1, generally in the form of a battery feeding an electronic circuit 2, and via that circuit an oscillator 3 and a display device 4, on the one hand, and a motor 6 of a chronograph mechanism, on the other hand. The electronic circuit 2 in this assembly maintains the oscillations of the quartz crystal 3, the division of these oscillations, and their correct shaping for activating the display device 4.

In the embodiment showns in FIG. 1, the chronograph watch comprises a display device composed in the form of a mechanism having hands providing an analog display. This mechanism comprises a motor, e.g., a jumping motor operating under the effect of pulses it receives from the electronic circuit 2. The arbor of this motor drive a reducing-gear train, two elements of which are coaxial and carry an hour-hand and a minute-hand, respectively. The time display may likewise comprise a second-hand in order to be complete, it being either coaxial with the hourand minute-hands or offset with respect to the center of the dial.

The assembly of the display mechanism 4, i.e., the driving motor and the gear-train described above, and the assembly of the chronograph mechanism which will be described further on, are mounted on one of the faces of a plate which constitutes the main part of the timepiece described. This plate may bear one or more bars for pivoting the rotating parts. Fixed above these bars will be the dial, having one or more openings through which the staffs of the indicator wheels will pass so as to receive the hands at the ends of them situated toward the visible face of the dial.

The electronic components of the timepiece described, i.e. the oscillating circuit, the quartz, and the dividing circuit 2 will be disposed on the reverse side of the plate. The power source 1, which will be constituted by one or possibly more batteries, may be lodged on the one or on the other of the faces of the plate, according to the design.

The gear-train of the time-display mechanism will be supplemented bya setting mechanism making it possible to turn at least the hourand minute-hands at will, so as to be able to adjust the chronograph watch. Connected in parallel to the output of the divider 2 making possible the activation of the display motor 4 is a switch 5 controlled from the outside by the user. This switch 5 controls at least one second motor 6 running the analog or digital display of a chronographic count via a gear-train. Proceeding from this motor 6 via a conventional mechanical gear-train, the display of other chronographic counts 7 may be obtained. Zero-reset cams 8 and 9 will be mounted on the staffs of the various counters to enable a hammer l0, controlled from the outside, to effect the return of the counters to zero.

This type of construction necessitates a chronographic display motor 6 of the rotary stepping type with magnetic locking in order for the rotor to be able to turn in either direction, without electrical control, when the counters are returned to zero.

Starting from the motor 6, the chronograph mechanism comprises a gear-train where the elements which rotate at a speed intended for a counting member are provided with mechanisms coupling them with the corresponding indicator member. This chronograph mechanism is likewise lodged between the plate and the dial. It is possible to provide for the wheel driving the directdrive second-hand to be disposed in the center of the dial, coaxially with the rotating part bearing the hourand minute-hands of the time-display device. However, it will be preferable to dispose the direct-drive secondhand off-center. The chronograph mechanism may also include a hand acting as a minute-counter, and possibly an hour-counter hand. A hand counting the fractions of seconds may likewise be provided.

According to the diagram in FIG. 1, the motor 6 is actuated by pulses having the same frequency as the motor of the display mechanism. In the simplest case, where this frequency is 1 Hz, a counting error is obviously liable to occur when the switch is turned on. As a matter of fact, when the counting motor 6 is connected via the switch 5, the state of the frequencydivider 2 is not necessarily zero; hence the counting error possible with this construction is a shift equal at most to the natural output frequency of the divider 2, generally one second. This shortcoming cannot be tolerated in a chronographic apparatus intended to measure short periods of time accurately.

In order to overcome this drawback and eliminate this relative error, the quartz watch equipped with a chronographic device according to the invention and shown in FIG. 2 comprises the same basic elements as that shown in FIG. 1, viz., a supply source 1, and electronic circuit 2 maintaining the quartz oscillator 3', with the division and shaping of the output pulses making it possible to activate an electric display device 4'. Otherwise, it differs in that the chronographic display system is electrically connected via a switch 5' to an independent output of the electronic circuit 2, the frequency of this output being at least eight times greater than that displayed by the fastest counter.

Introduced between the switch 5, and the display motor 6' is an electronic circuit 11' comprising a frequency-divider and an output pulse-shaper in order to be able electrically to activate the chronographic display motor 6'. As a variation, this electronic circuit may include at least two outputs of distinctly different frequencies, making it possible to activate at least two display motors 6 and 12', thus also enabling counters of seconds, minutes, and hours to be displayed by indicators l7 and 17' via independent gear-trains, for example Zero-reset cams l8, l9 and 18' mounted on the staffs of counters l7 and 17-' enable hammers 20 and 20', controlled from the outside, to effect the return of the counters to 0; this operation is analogous to that described above with respect to FIG. 1.

Another variation of this device makes it possible to display a fraction of a second with one of the motors.

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of the movement of the chronograph watch in one of the planned embodiments. The parts shown in the drawing and designated by letters are the following:

I. Time display mechanism a-motor pinion b-fourth wheel and pinion c-center wheels and pinions (center-wheel, cannon pinion, hour-wheel) d-third wheel and pinion e-minute-wheel and pinion Mm-motor of the time-display mechanism S-second-hand (at 9 oclock) M-minute-hand H-hourhand Q-date window Tr-setting stem II. Chronograph display mechanism f-motor pinion g-l/lO-second-counter wheel and pinion h-second-counter intermediate wheel and pinion c-center wheels and pinions (second-counter wheel,

minute-counter wheel, minute-counter pinion) i-minute-counter intermediate wheel and pinion j-hour-counter intermediate wheel and pinion k-hour-counter wheel Cfl /l O-second-counter hand Cs-second-counter hand Cm-minute-counter hand Ch-hour-counter hand I-control button for electric switch (5, 5)

Rz-return button (actuating the hammer) Mc-motor driving the chronograph mechanism III, Electronic control system Pm-Supply battery for time mechanism Pc-supply battery for chronographic mechanism O-quartz-crystal oscillator Ce-electronic circuit (maintaining, dividing, shaping) T-regulating trimmer As previously described, the return of the counters to zero will be effected mechanically, with the aid of hammers 20, 20 controlled by an outside pushbutton, for instance, these hammers acting upon earns 18, 19 and 18' placed onthe staffs of the counters 17, 17 in a known manner.

In order to prevent currents induced by the motors from destroying the electronic dividing and shaping circuit upon the return to zero, blanking diodes 22, 24 may be introduced between the outputs 21, 23 of the electronic circuit and inputs 25, 27 of the motors 6; 12; respectively, for example.

The use of several motors for displaying the counters may lead to a relatively high current consumption. In certain cases, a supplementary supply 13 may be introduced to ensure the operation of the display of the counters without disturbing the operation of the time display mechanism.

This supply 13' will be connected to the electronic circuit 11' and will be drawn upon only during the operation of the counters, so that the battery 1 will serve merely to provide thecontrol pulses to the electronic counting circuit 11, whereas this circuit and the display motors will be supplied by the supplementary current source 13'.

A chronograph watch according to the invention will be simple in its operation, not needing any such complicated mechanical functionsas clutch, brake, etc. As a matter of fact, the clutch is not necessary because of the mechanical independence of the chronographic counting device, and the brakes are replaced by the locking of the counter drive motors themselves. At the present time, it is relatively easy to produce a chronograph watch according to the invention because of the existence on the market of stepping motors which are compatible both as to characteristics and size with their use in the contemplated watch. The watch itself need not be larger than a wrist-watch.

The characteristics of such a watch are presently unknown on the market, and the performance envisaged can easily justify its relatively high cost.

What is claimed is:

l. A chronograph watch, comprising:

a quartz oscillator;

a first electronic circuit coupled to said oscillator for dividing and shaping output pulses generated by said oscillator;

display means connected to a first output of said first electronic circuit for displaying a time signal;

a second electronic circuit comprising a frequency divider and an output pulse shaper;

switch means connected between an input of said second electronic circuit and a second, independent output of said first electronic circuit;

a stepping motor connected to an output of said second electronic circuit and driven at a predetermined frequency by pulses produced by said second electronic circuit;

a gear train comprising a motor pinion driven by said motor and counter wheels comprising at least a second counter wheel and a minute counter wheel;

cam means mounted on said counter wheels; and

hammer means mounted adjacent said cam means for resetting said counter wheels to zero upon engagement of said cam means by said hammer means;

the frequency produced at said second output being at least eight times greater than the frequency produced at said output of said second electronic circuit for driving said stepping motor.

2. A chronograph watch according to claim 1, further comprising a diode connected between said second electronic circuit and said stepping motor.

3. A chronograph watch according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first power source connected to said first electronic circuit for energizing said first circuit, said oscillator and said display device; and

a second power source connected to said second electronic circuit for energizing said second circuit and said stepping motor when said switch means is closed.

4. A chronograph watch according to claim 1, wherein said display means is energized with pulses at a predetermined frequency and said stepping motor is energized at a frequency which is a multiple of said predetermined frequency.

5. A chronograph watch, comprising:

a quartz oscillator;

a first electronic circuit coupled to said oscillator for dividing and shaping output pulses generated by said oscillator;

display means connected to a first output of said first electronic circuit for displaying a time signal;

a second electronic circuit comprising a frequency divider and an output pulse shaper;

switch means connected between an input of said second electronic circuit and a second independent output of said first electronic circuit, said second electronic circuit having a plurality of outputs producing different frequencies;

a plurality of stepping motors each connected to one of said outputs of said second electronic circuit and rotating at a different rotating frequency from each other stepping motor; and

a plurality of independent gear trains comprising a second counter wheel, a minute counter wheel and an hour counter wheel, each of said gear trains being driven by one of said stepping motors;

the frequency produced at said second output of said first circuit being at least eight times greater than the highest frequency produced at one of said second circuit outputs for driving said stepping motors.

6. A chronograph watch according to claim 5, wherein the fastest stepping motor has a rotating frequency higher than 1 Hz and the gear train driven by said fastest stepping motor comprises a counter wheel for counting a fraction of a second.

7. A chronograph watch according to claim 5, wherein each of said counter wheels has a cam coaxial therewith, and said chronograph further comprises a plurality of hammers located adjacent said cams for resetting to zero at least one counter wheel in one of said independent gear trains.

8. A chronograpph watch according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of diodes, each connected between one of said outputs of said second electronic circuits and the corresponding stepping motor.

9. A chronograph watch according to claim 5, further comprising a first power source connected to said first electronic circuit for energizing said circuit, said oscillator and said display device; and a second power source connected to said second electronic circuit for energizing said circuit and said stepping motors when said switch means is closed. 

1. A chronograph watch, comprising: a quartz oscillator; a first electronic circuit coupled to said oscillator for dividing and shaping output pulses generated by said oscillator; display means connected to a first output of said first electronic circuit for displaying a time signal; a second electronic circuit comprising a frequency divider and an output pulse shaper; switch means connected between an input of said second electronic circuit and a second, independent output of said first electronic circuit; a stepping motor connected to an output of said second electronic circuit and driven at a predetermined frequency by pulses produced by said second electronic circuit; a gear train comprising a motor pinion driven by said motor and counter wheels comprising at least a second counter wheel and a minute counter wheel; cam means mounted on said counter wheels; and hammer means mounted adjacent said cam means for resetting said counter wheels to zero upon engagement of said cam means by said hammer means; the frequency produced at said second output being at least eight times greater than the frequency produced at said output of said second electronic circuit for driving said stepping motor.
 2. A chronograph watch according to claim 1, further comprising a diode connected between said second electronic circuit and said stepping motor.
 3. A chronograph watch according to claim 1, further comprising: a first power source connected to said first electronic circuit for energizing said first circuit, said oscillator and said display device; and a second power source connected to said second electronic circuit for energizing said second circuit and said stepping motor when said switch means is closed.
 4. A chronograph watch according to claim 1, wherein said display means is energized with pulses at a predetermined frequency and said stepping motor is energized at a frequency which is a multiple of said predetermined frequency.
 5. A chronograph watch, comprising: a quartz oscillator; a first electronic circuit coupled to said oscillator for dividing and shaping output pulses generated by said oscillator; display means connected to a first output of said first electronic circuit for displaying a time signal; a second electronic circuit comprising a frequency divider and an output pulse shaper; switch means connected between an input of said second electronic circuit and a second independent output of said first electronic circuit, said second electronic circuit having a plurality of outputs producing different frequencies; a plurality of stepping motors each connected to one of said outputs of said second electronic circuit and rotating at a different rotating frequency from each other stepping motor; and a plurality of independent gear trains comprising a second counter wheel, a minute counter wheel and an hour counter wheel, each of said gear trains being driven by one of said stepping motors; the frequency produced at said second output of said first circuit being at least eight times greater than the highest frequency produced at one of said second circuit outputs for driving said stepping motors.
 6. A chronograph watch according to claim 5, wherein the fastest stepping motor has a rotating frequency higher than 1 Hz and the gear train driven by said fastest stepping motor comprises a counter wheel for counting a fraction of a second.
 7. A chronograph watch according to claim 5, wherein each of said counter wheels has a cam coaxial therewith, and said chronograph further comprises a plurality of hammers located adjacent said cams for resetting to zero at least one counter wheel in one of said independent gear trains.
 8. A chronograpph watch according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of diodes, each connected between one of said outputs of said second electronic circuits and the corresponding stepping motor.
 9. A chronograph watch according to claim 5, further comprising a first power source connected to said first electronic circuit for energizing said circuit, said oscillator and said display device; and a second power source connected to said second electronic circuit for energizing said circuit and said stepping motors when said switch means is closed. 